Civilian casualties strain NATO

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By Jason Motlagh THE WASHINGTON TIMES

KABUL — An errant attack last week on civilians by U.S.-led coalition forces has widened a rift between the Afghan government and the international community that may change the nature of foreign military operations in Afghanistan.

The United Nations this week agreed with assertions by the Afghan government that at least 90 civilians died in a U.S.-coordinated air strike Aug. 22 in the west of the country, more than half of them children. If true, the incident amounts to one of the deadliest civilian tolls since the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.

But a Pentagon review found the number to be far lower, with five civilians killed. Pentagon officials told the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity, because the review has not been released publicly, that a rival clan provided misleading information that prompted the attack and that 25 militants were killed during the operation.

The AP reported that the U.S. government was pressing for a joint U.S.-Afghan probe in the hope of reaching a common conclusion about the incident and that it was unclear Friday whether the results of the review had been accepted by the Afghan government.

The timing of the incident could not be worse for NATO forces and the embattled Afghan government, which is faced with waning public confidence and a resurgent Taliban. Continued attacks resulting in civilian deaths have called into question the government´s ability to manage foreign troops, as well as the coalition´s counter-insurgency strategy.

President Hamid Karzai, up for re-election next year, has vehemently condemned the attack and ordered a full review of international troop operations. He has pledged to push for a ban on air strikes against civilian targets and strict limits on the detention of Afghan civilians and domestic searches.

He is backed by an angry phalanx of officials in the defense and interior ministries, members of parliament, and independent rights organizations.

"The government of Afghanistan has repeatedly discussed the issue of civilian casualties with the international forces and asked for all air raids on civilian targets, especially Afghan villages, to be stopped," the government said in a statement.

In early July, a U.S. air strike killed 47 civilians, including 39 women and children, as they were traveling to a wedding party in eastern Nangarhar province, an official Afghan probe found.

Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, addressed the issue of civilian casualties at a news conference on Thursday.